The Bonds of Brotherhood
by Gryphon124
Summary: A month after Kenai had decided to stay with Koda, Denahi makes a decision that alters their lives forever. Chronicles Denahi and his brothers, and their travels to follow their hearts. Please read and review! Epilogue is up! Complete.
1. Prologue and Chap 1: Campfires & stories

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who has taken time to review during the writing of this fic. I really appreciate it and it's always nice to know that someone is interested. Again, thank you for your reviews, and for any comments or suggestions. I wrote this story before Brother Bear II came out, and I am glad I did so. This is a continuation of the root story and the beliefs that it embodied. It is complete, though I return to it now and then to tweak it a bit here and there. I hope you enjoy it enough to leave a comment or two.

And a special thanks to Eiko, who has translated this fanfic into Japanese and posted it on her site here: http:/www -dot- geocities -dot- jp/walken66/index -dot- htm She has also drawn a beautiful piece of Fanart for the story (also on her website) which is the best compliment I have ever received for anything I have written.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Brother Bear or the characters from the movie.

Prologue

* * *

Denahi finished his story. The children sitting around him were smiling and clapping. Then, one of the older boys raised his hand. "Uncle Denahi, what about the rest of the story?" Nostalgia filled Denahi's eyes. He looked at his 14 year old nephew. He would be getting his totem soon. "Kenai, I know that your father and many of the adults here have told that story before, all the children already know it."

Kenai shook his head. "The other adults weren't there, they only know bits and half truths. And my own father," he looked at him over his shoulder, "his perception is different than yours. Besides, it's just as much your story as the one you just told was uncle Kenai's." Denahi looked at Kenai's father. He looked back and gave a slight nod. Denahi nodded as well, and looked out over the crowd of children. "Would you like to hear another story?" he asked. Shouts rose at his statement and the children clapped again. After the noise had died down, Denahi spoke. "Alright, I will tell you the next story. I will tell you of the bonds that hold brothers together."

Chap. 1

* * *

Kenai awoke with a start. He looked around quickly and realized that he was at the salmon run. Koda was curled up by his chest. It had been three weeks since he had made the change and he still wondered. He knew he had chosen the right path, but he missed his brother and his village. Though Denahi was accepting of his new form, He was still wary of the other bears and he had trouble telling them apart. He had only visited once after Kenai's paw was put on the wall two weeks ago, and even then, they had met a ways into the forest, so that the other bears didn't know. Kenai had seen the sadness in his eyes then, and knew that Denahi felt the separation too.

Pushing Koda very carefully, Kenai stood up and stretched. He walked quietly away and went up the hill to watch the lights on the mountain. Sitka was there, looking after them. Kenai wondered if Sitka realized the tensions between his other brothers. With no way to communicate, they were drifting apart.

"Kenai, why'd you get up? It's still early, besides, we were gonna go lookin' for a cave today remember?" Koda sat on a rock behind Kenai.

"Koda, go back to sleep, I'll be there in a minute. Besides, before we get a cave, you know I have to tell Tug about me. That alone could take a week to straighten out." Since his final transformation, he and Koda had decided that because neither he nor Koda could survive without more skills, they would have to ask for one of the other bears to teach them. Unfortunately this would lead to questions about why Kenai had never learned, and how Koda knew his mother was gone. Kenai had finally decided to tell Tug, who he felt would be the best to understand and also a good teacher. Koda didn't like the idea, partly because it brought up the sad memories of his mother, but he agreed to go along with it.

"Okay, but you're gonna have to go foraging with me today then. I want to explore the mountain more." With that Koda went back down the hill.

Kenai looked down at his totem. I wonder what other choices I could have made, thought Kenai.

Denahi looked out at the forest that surrounded the village. He could see the natural beauty of it, but it did not help his mood. Though Kenai was still alive and though he had agreed with Kenai's decision to remain a bear, Danahi mourned as if he had lost another brother. He pretended as if nothing was wrong when he was around Kenai, but both of them knew that a rift was growing between them. He had to come up with something, and the only way to do that was to go to where the lights touch the earth. He had to travel back to the mountain and ask Sitka for guidance.

Having made up his mind, he started packing for the trip. Last time he had gone, it had taken him 3 days to get there to see Kenai, and the weather was going be worse this week or at least that's what Tanana said.

Gathering his spear and bundle of supplies, Denahi stepped out into the morning light and began the march to the mountain.

It was a long hike, but Denahi had done this twice before and he knew the way. The weather held out on the first day and Denahi began to think that Tanana had been wrong about the rain. The next day however, brought a downpour that chilled him to the bone. Before he had moved more than three steps he was soaked as were all of his belongings. He continued his quest however, and by later afternoon the rain had become just a drizzle. He hadn't covered much ground that day and when the rain finally stopped, he made camp early so that he could dry out and start fresh the next day.

The weather was good the next two days and by early afternoon on the fourth day, Denahi stood looking up at the mountain.


	2. Chap 2: The truth shall set you free

Chap. 2  
  
"Tug, do you have a minute?" Tug stopped fishing, and looked up at the bank where Kenai sat. "Sure, boy, what do ya need?" Kenai shifted uncomfortably. "Remember when Koda and I joined you guys here a few weeks ago? Well, I wanted to tell you another story." Tug laughed and climbed up the bank.  
  
"Kenai, we tell stories all the time here, what part of the forest are you from again?" Kenai just sat there looking at his paws. "That's part of the story, it's important and Koda agrees." He looked back over his shoulder at Koda who sat some distance away, his eyes downcast. "How's this, we'll do a gathering tonight and you can tell your story then?" Tug looked back at the river and all the salmon that were getting away. "Tug, this is for your ears only and there are some things which the others shouldn't know." Kenai looked pleadingly at him. Tug sighed, and stood up, "alright, if it's that important to the both of you, let's go up to the hill and you tell me this story of yours." Kenai smiled, though it looked a bit forced and they began to climb the hill.  
  
"The story begins the same as Koda's," began Kenai. "When the 3 hunters cornered his mother on cliff, one of the brothers sacrificed himself in the belief that he was saving the other two." Tug lifted arched his eye at the thought of humans protecting themselves. Kenai hurried on. "Anyway, afterwards, the 2 surviving brothers went back to their village, where a ceremony was held for the lost brother. After it was over, the youngest brother, blaming the bear for the death, vowed revenge, and chased after it." It was apparent that Tug was intrigued with the story, though what it was leading to, he couldn't guess.  
  
"Finally the younger brother caught up to Koda's mother high up on another cliff." Kenai paused to let Koda leave, knowing that Koda didn't want to hear this again, but to his surprise, Koda stayed and seemed okay. "They fought, and the young brother was easily outmatched. Then.....he.....he....he managed a lucky blow. And......killed Koda's mother." Tug stared at Kenai for a long time. Koda began to cry, but he still didn't leave. "You better have a good explanation for this Kenai. Telling wild stories like this, these lies will only cause others pain." Tug looked quite upset. But Kenai pressed on. "Wait! Let me finish. After he ki...., after it was over, the spirits intervened. The eldest brother's spirit changed the younger brother so he could see the world through another's eyes."  
  
Kenai paused, took a deep breath and went on. "The changed brother's name was Kenai, I am the youngest brother." A long silence followed. Kenai could see that Tug was wrestling with what to believe and was worried that he might just think that Kenai was crazy, when Koda piped in. "its true Tug. When the Light touched the mountain a few weeks ago, Kenai redeemed himself and was turned back to a human. He chose to stay a bear to look after me."  
  
Tug just sat there and after what seemed like hours, he finally spoke. "That would explain a lot, but why are ya tellin me this?"  
"I don't know how to survive as a bear. Koda has given me a lot of pointers but he's still young, and doesn't know much either." Kenai looked at Koda briefly. "We need someone to teach us how to survive."  
  
Tug looked at one then the other. Finally he shook his head, "Ya actually a human? That's a big change, even for the spirits. I have ta say that I don't like ya as much as I did before, but giving up your way of life for Koda, well that don't make you half bad." Tug grinned. "Let's get started. It'll raise questions if I teach you around here, so let's head to my den. Its a couple days from here, but the basics you need won't take long, I hope." Kenai let out a sigh of relief. And Koda managed a smile. "Thanks Tug."  
  
"No problem, but lets get goin now; I need a good walk to think this over some more." Tug got up and began to walk up river into the forest. Kenai and Koda looked at each other and followed him under the trees.  
  
The climb up took him the rest of the afternoon, but it paid off. Just as night was beginning to fall, Denahi reached the top, and looked up at the lights. He walked to the center of the precipice he was on and called out. "Great spirits! Sitka! I need your help! Please hear me!" When nothing changed he continued, "Sitka, you must see what this change has done! I know that Kenai made the right choice, but how are we to stay brothers if we can no longer communicate? I do not want to lose another one! I have no reason to stay in the village without family! Please Sitka, Help me!"  
  
Blue light of the spirits spiraled down out of the sky, dancing around Denahi. A great eagle larger than anything could be floated down out of the night. It condensed into the spirit of Sitka who walked toward Denahi.  
  
Denahi looked at his brother. "Sitka, please..." Sitka walked slowly around Denahi, looking him up and down. Finally, he came to a stop in front of him, and said just two words, "One way." Denahi was puzzled, but what Sitka said gave him hope. "There's a way? Please Sitka, I'll take it, I cannot live with the loss of 2 brothers."  
  
Sitka nodded his head and reached out to Denahi's totem. He fingered it briefly, as if the was something funny about it. Then he stepped back and turned into the eagle once more. He lifted up until he was above Denahi and then picked him up in his talons. Denahi let out a gasp as he was lifted up into the sky.  
  
A glow surrounded him, and his skin tingled. He felt himself growing larger, heavier. Fur sprouted across his skin, and claws grew from his fingers. His face grew outward, becoming a muzzle, and he his teeth became sharper. As quickly as they had begun, the changes stopped and Denahi floated back down to the ground. He was very dizzy and he walked but four steps before he fell down unconscious.  
  
Denahi opened his eyes and looked around. The sun was just coming over the horizon, and the great lights were fading. Suddenly, the memory of what had happened that night rushed to the front of his mind. Sitka turned me into my totem, a wolf! I have to find some water to look. Denahi was both excited and afraid, he hadn't really thought about what the change would be like. Before he had gotten up though, Denahi realized a flaw in his logic. Wolves are the same size as a man, he thought. But I remember becoming larger... I need to find that water! Denahi got up and moved as quickly as he could down the mountain.  
  
About half way down, he came to a stream. Tentivally he looked into the water, and stared at his image. Though his wolf totem still hung from his neck, he was most definitely not a wolf. A bear? Is that why Sitka found my totem funny, because it was not what I would become? Denahi looked much like Kenai did as a bear, though he had a darker coat and slighter larger build. After looking in the stream one last time, Denahi sat on his haunches. I guess it makes sense, Thought Denahi. I better go find Kenai and tell him... I wonder what he'll say? Grinning to himself, Denahi began the climb down the rest of the mountain.  
  
It was a little past midday when Denahi came across the salmon run. At first he stood there just staring at all the bears. He had never seen anything like it. Part of him wanted to scream, while anther part told him that he was one of them now. Carefully, and trying to attract as little attention as possible, he began to look for Kenai.  
  
The sun was fully in the west by the time Denahi gave up the search. Kenai was nowhere to be found, or at least, there was no bear wearing a totem here. Denahi had noticed however, that he could actually see differences between the bears like he hadn't though possible. When he was human, they all seemed alike, but now.... They were as varied as the people of his village, and they acted similar too. The younger bears played and wrestled while the older ones talked and fished. It was a beautiful community and Denahi felt guilty that it had taken a different form to truly convince himself of that fact.  
  
"Haven't seen you before, are you new here?" Denahi turned around and was face to face with a large, light furred bear. "I'm looking for someone, my brother Kenai."  
  
"The larger bear grinned. "Kenai? He's a great one, taking care of Koda and all. So you two are brothers eh? Nice to meet you..." The bear trailed off expectantly. "Denahi." The bear nodded. "Denahi, I'm Durba. You just missed your brother. He, Tug, and Koda left this afternoon, I think they're goin to Tug's den, though I could be wrong." Durba looked up at the sun. "If you left now, you can probably catch up to them while they're sleeping. Follow the river north and you should find em." Durba turned toward the river. "Good luck, I gotta get back to fetching supper." With that, Durba climbed down the bank and began to fish.  
  
Denahi sighed and began the trek up the river.  
  
Toward sunset, Tug began to move away from the river and the trekked off deeper into the woods. They skirted a little clearing, and after going a few hundred feet past it, Tug stopped. "Let's get some rest. We can go back to the river tomarra for breakfast and we can make it to the den by midday." Tug looked around for a bit before settling in a pile of fir needles and closing his eyes. Kenai looked at Koda. Since they had known each other, Koda had never stopped talking about something, but during the trek he hadn't said a word. Kenai was worried but didn't know what to say. Koda had sat down, seeming in his own thoughts when he looked Kenai straight in the eyes. "You miss him, don't you?" Kenai was startled, "Miss who, Koda what are you talking about?"  
  
"Since we began walking, you looked sad and off somewheres else. I remember looking like that the first week after your change, when I missed my mom."  
  
Kenai realized why Koda hadn't spoken, He hadn't wanted to disturb Kenai, and now that he thought about it, he had been off thinking about his brothers almost the entire trip. "Yeah, I do. Sitka is a spirit now and I know he's well, I guess that it's Denahi that I really miss."  
  
"Why do you miss him? You still see him don't you, I mean how can you miss someone who still there, I-" Kenai cut him off. "Koda, it's not the same. Yes Denahi is still here, but we can't talk, we no longer understand one another and that leads to a different kind of loss." Koda nodded his head, though Kenai didn't think he understood.  
  
"Com' on Koda, lets get some rest." Kenai found a niche between to large roots and curled up. Koda paused a moment before curling up next to him. 


	3. Chap 3: Three brothers and a clearing

Chap. 3  
  
Denahi quickly learned that bears weren't the only creature he could talk to. Soon after he began walking, he noticed that he could understand almost every creature around him, though few would actually stick around to chat.  
  
He moved slowly, still trying to get used to his new form, and before long he realized that Durba's estimates for catching up were off. Durba had thought him a bear, and assumed that a bear could make that journey, but Denahi was still settling in to the changes and between listening to the other animals and trying to figure out new scents, he made little headway. Soon it was dark, and he still hadn't seen anything suggesting that they were near. He continued to walk until the moon began to set, before deciding to find a place to sleep. He had almost fallen into the river twice, so he moved back a ways into the forest. After only a few minutes he came across a small clearing. It looked safe, so Denahi curled up by the edge, and was fast asleep in no time.  
  
Kenai stretched, causing Koda to tumble off his stomach. His sleep had been filled with sad dreams and though he had been comfortable, he didn't feel rested at all. Tug was already up and seemed to be waiting for them.  
  
"I'm gonna go get breakfast, just though ya should know, be back soon." Tug started off to the river.  
  
Koda looked blearily at Kenai. "Can't we sleep just a bit longer?" Kenai resisted the urge to agree and looked up at the sun. He was surprised by how late they slept. "Sorry Koda, but we still have a lot to do today, and we don't want to spend all our time sleeping. Koda muttered something under his breath about "why not", but Kenai ignored him. "I'm going to go forage for berries; you stay here and wait for Tug."  
  
"But-", "No buts Koda, We could use more than fish for breakfast, and I need some time to think. I won't go far, just yell if you need me." Without waiting for Koda to argue, Kenai went off into the trees.  
  
He wandered around for a bit, lost in his own thoughts when a voice snapped him back.  
  
"Kenai, I need help!" Kenai looked around, but he couldn't see anyone. "Denahi? Where are you?" Not that you know what I'm saying, he thought bitterly.  
  
"I'm over here, in a clearing!" Kenai remembered the clearing from the other day and started toward it. "I know you don't understand, but I'm coming!" Kenai roared. "I don't think I need to." Denahi replied.  
  
Kenai could now see glimpse of the clearing through the trees. "Need to what?"  
  
"I don't need to hold on," came the reply. Suddenly it stuck Kenai; Denahi was answering what he said. How could he understand what Kenai was saying?  
  
Kenai crashed into the clearing. Denahi was nowhere to be seen, but toward the eastern edge, a bear hung upside down from a human trap.  
  
"Have you seen a human around here?" He called out. "No, but I could use a ha-, a paw, brother bear."  
  
Kenai jaw hung open as he stared at the grinning Denahi.  
  
For a moment, Kenai couldn't believe his eyes. Then they drifted onto the lock of fur hanging over the bear's right eye. A small piece of blue cloth held it in a bunch. "Denahi?"  
  
"It's great to see you brother, however I could use some help before we talk, this is a little uncomfortable."  
  
Still speechless, Kenai looked around a bit, found the peg holding the rope, and pulled it out.  
  
Thump!  
  
"Ouch! Aww, you could of warned me." Denahi rubbed his head with a paw.  
  
"Denahi, how did you, I mean, why, or a when, um...." Kenai couldn't seem to talk coherently.  
  
"I went to Sitka for help Kenai, and he turned me into a bear." Denahi looked Kenai in the eyes. "I already lost one brother; I didn't want to lose another one."  
  
Kenai stood there, still trying to understand. Finally he gave up, and gave his brother a bear hug. They embraced for a long time before they separated. "I'm glad that you're here. I missed you."  
  
Denahi smiled. "I missed you too, little brother."  
  
Kenai suddenly remembered Koda. "Come on Denahi, I want to introduce you to my other brother." Denahi looked confused for a moment before it dawned on him. "The little cub?" They had begun to cross the clearing. Kenai nodded. "How did you end up with him anyway? I never really understood what happened, and I never got to ask either." On the walk back to where he had left Koda, Kenai told his brother about his journey.  
  
"You made the right decision Kenai, and I bet that Koda is very thankful for that," Denahi said after he had finished his story. They entered the area where the bears had spent the night, where Koda was trying to practice his "moves" on a caterpillar.  
  
Denahi and Kenai just sat by the tree for a bit and watched Koda do back flips and jumps until the caterpillar got bored and walked away. Koda looked over and noticed that Kenai was back and ran over to him. "Kenai did you see? My moves were so scary; I mean that caterpillar didn't know what to do. Tug says that-" Koda stopped and looked at Denahi.  
  
"Who's this Kenai? He looks a bit like you."  
  
"Koda, this is my other brother, Denahi. Denahi, this is Koda, my new brother." Koda looked a bit lost when Denahi spoke up. "I was turned into a bear like my brother, though for different reasons." He looked briefly at Kenai. "I was wondering, if I could, well, join the family?" A smile crept onto Koda's face. "Two brothers! This is great! I mean we can go fishing, and play in the fields, chase caribou," Koda continued to list the possibilities while Kenai held back a laugh. Denahi was a little surprised at how little Koda needed to breathe. "Is he always this... talkative?" Kenai had given up holding back and was now chuckling. "It can be annoying sometimes, but he's my, I mean, our brother now, and I think that you were worse when it came to that."  
  
"Oh really?" Denahi arched an eye. "You were the impulsive one who tried to milk a caribou." Koda stopped talking and looked at the other two. Both were grinning. "Yeah, well you got bit by a dog while dodging Nia. You should have seen your face," Kenai retorted.  
  
"Oh that's it!" Denahi laughed and jumped onto his brother. The two young bears wrestled and rolled around. Koda joined in and the three brothers were soon exhausted and laughing.  
  
"What's all this? Whose this other bear? I swear you are worse than a cub, Kenai!" came a deep voice. The three brothers turned to look around. The small area was completely destroyed. Young saplings were snapped, the ground cover of leafs and other plants was strewn about and upturned. One of the trees was missing most of the bark on the side facing the campsite. Finally their eyes rested on Tug, who was standing about 15 feet away with 4 large fish by his side. 


	4. Chap 4: Home, sweet home

Chap. 4  
  
Tug settled down after Kenai explained about his brother. He was still upset about the mess they caused, hunters liked the area, and they didn't want to attract them. The rest of the day was spent finding a new place to spend the night and teaching Denahi what little Kenai and Koda knew.  
  
As evening settled in Kenai's mood became serious. "You know Denahi that our lives won't be easy. It won't be all fun and games." Denahi looked at his brother funny. "Kenai, life as a human wasn't all fun and games. I know you didn't understand that until your change, and I know that you thought I was just as bad, but, well, I've grown a lot since the mountain. Kenai grinned. "In more ways than one, you must weigh twice as much now!" Denahi took a playful swipe at his brother. "Don't worry Kenai; I am trying to follow my totem just as you are following yours."

Tug and Koda sat a little bit apart from the two brothers. "The spirits have something in store for them, and you too I think," stated Tug. Koda looked up at the huge bear beside him. "What do ya mean Tug? What could the spirits still want? Kenai already... well... you know..." Tug favored the cub with a smile. "Can't ya see Koda? The spirits rarely make such large changes. To turn two brothas into other creatures, well that can't be a coincidence." Koda didn't understand what Tug meant, but at that moment the two brothers lumbered over to them. "Come on Koda, time to rest."

They arrived at Tug's den the next day. It was up a steep hill, with a great view of the valley. Small trees dotted the landscape and a single large tree lay on its side by the entrance. A single chipmunk stood on the log glaring at Tug as they came up. "Youweresupposedtobehereyesterday!" the little creature yelled. "Ineedyoutohelpusfindthatnewhouse. Whoarethey? Isthattheyoungbearcubwhosemotherwasinafight? Nicetomeetyou, anywayiftheyarestaying, myfamilywillneedatreetonight. Comeon, notimetowaste!" The chipmunk jumped down and dashed into the den.  
  
Kenai, Denahi, and Koda just stood there. Tug looked embarrassed. "Ya remember I told the story about this tree the first night. Well, looks like I'll be out for a while, Make yourselves comfortable."  
  
The chipmunk had come back out with his family, and they were waiting restlessly on the log. Tug lumbered over and the jumped onto his back. "Iwantahouseuponthehilloverthere-""-itneedstobedry, apineifpossible-""- mommy, arewethereyet?" The family chattered away as Tug moved down the hill.  
  
The brothers continued to stand there speechless for quite a while. Finally, Denahi broke the silence. "Do all chipmunks talk like that?" Kenai shook his head in bewilderment. "When I first became a bear, I met a couple of chipmunks, they weren't anything like that. Come on; let's go inside, it looks like rain." They moved off into the den.  
  
"Bucky says that some chipmunks are hyper and are always talking. Course that was right before we found the Pine nut. Have I told you about the Pine nut, Denahi? It was the largest Pine nut I'd ever seen, even larger than K-" the trio disappeared into the den and Koda's voice faded from the hillside.


	5. Chap 5: Bad Dream

Chap. 5  
  
The bears stayed at Tug's den for almost 2 weeks. With Tug's help, Kenai soon became well versed in what was editable and how to spot a trap. Koda already knew much of this, but he even learned about a few plants he didn't know about. Denahi had the most trouble. Though he was learning basics that even Koda knew, He seemed to be having a harder time adjusting than Kenai.  
  
He had willingly become a bear, but for whatever reason he wasn't adjusting as fast as he thought he would. By the end of the two weeks, he had only grasped what Kenai had learned in his journey with Koda. Tug however, was getting restless to go back to the salmon run and once Kenai and Koda had the basics, he left it up to them to teach Denahi.  
  
"Alright Denahi, you try." Kenai watched patiently while Denahi stood motionless above the clear water. A small school of fish swam by. Denahi's paw struck out into the water with a loud splash. A fish, albeit a very small one flipped up onto the bank.  
  
"Hey, you did it Denahi, good job!" Denahi let out a sigh. He was surprised by how different this was from his other life and he was impressed that Kenai had adapted so quickly.  
  
"Thanks Kenai."  
  
"Kenai, are we goin' to the salmon run soon? Tug already went back, and Bucky will probably leave this week. I won-" Koda stopped as Kenai nodded his head.  
  
"Alright Koda, we can go now. You up to the journey brother?" Denahi grinned at the question.  
  
"Come on Kenai, a choice between here and a journey to the gathering? Don't you know your own brother?" Kenai grinned back and began walking down river. Koda fell into step on his right and Denahi caught up on the other side. "Come on then, let's go!" The three brothers began to race down the river.

The summer was waning, and most bears had left the salmon run to head home. When the brother arrived, they were surprised to see how few bears remained.  
  
"Bucky!" Koda ran off to play with a group of five cubs, the only ones left that Denahi could see.  
  
"Why do they all leave, Kenai?" Kenai gazed out over the great river and at the dozen bears remaining. "The salmon only come by in large numbers once a year. You should know that, Denahi." Kenai went down to the water and began to fish. Denahi looked around one more time before joining his brother. After a few minutes, Kenai caught a salmon of fair size, though smaller than the ones he had caught during his first weeks. Denahi caught one shortly afterward, and to the brothers' surprise, it was larger than Kenai's. "Denahi, have you been practicing in secret?"  
  
Denahi grinned. "This is the biggest fish I've caught Kenai. It was just luck."  
  
The brothers climbed up the bank and ate their meal. The great lights were visible in the darkening evening and Koda soon joined them. "Bucky's leaving tomorrow. We haven't even had time to go exploring. Course, Bucky says that while we were gone, this cub, Enak fell off the waterfall, and got his foot trapped under a rock,-"  
  
"Let me guess," Kenai interrupted. "He had to chew his own foot off."  
  
Koda looked surprised. "How'd you know?"  
  
"Koda, have you noticed that Bucky's stories always end with chewing or ripping off a limb?" Koda thought about it for a moment. "I guess..."  
  
"Have you heard anyone else mention the events that Binky talks about?" "Bucky..." Koda corrected without thinking.  
  
"You mean he's been pulling my tail?" Koda looked hurt. Denahi quickly jumped in. "I'm sure he didn't mean to trick you, I bet that he just likes telling fanciful stories."  
  
Before Koda could reply, Kenai spoke. "Come on Koda, it's time for bed, you want to see Bin- I mean Bucky before he leaves, right?" Kenai went up to one of the rock faces and lay down. Denahi took the one right below it. Koda reluctantly climbed up and curled up next to Kenai. The Lights danced overhead, creating patterns that quickly lulled them to sleep.

Denahi looked around. He was standing on the mountain where the lights touch the earth. Sitka stood a little ways back, still a spirit, with the shadow of an eagle shadowing him. Denahi turned and looked to his right. His brother bear, Kenai lay there, asleep with a cub by his side. An adolescent boy stood by his side, a single blanket wrapped around him. Denahi suddenly realized that he was human again, in the hunting outfit he had worn when he had chased Kenai. He looked back at Kenai, who was still a bear. A spear appeared in the hand of the boy, however. He seemed unsure of what to do with it, but then he raised it up above Kenai's heart, and...  
  
"NOOOOO!"  
  
Denahi tumbled off the rock and crashed into the river. The first rays of sunlight danced on the water. He broke the surface and gasped for breath.  
  
"Denahi! Are you all right?" Kenai was climbing down the rocks as fast as he could. Koda was right behind him.  
  
"I'm fine, just... was surprised and slipped." He shook himself, letting water droplets shower the other two. Koda looked a bit reproachful at this. "Surprised? I didn't see anything."  
  
"No, it was, I just, I... I forgot where I was for a moment." Kenai looked concerned but he changed the subject. "Com' on lets catch breakfast. We have a long journey ahead of us."  
  
"Journey? Where are we going Kenai? Will we be back this afternoon? Me and Bucky have to get together before he leaves."  
  
"You should go say goodbye to Bin- I mean Bucky, after breakfast. We won't be coming back here this year. I think it's time we found a den of our own."  
  
"Really?!" Koda's face split into a wide grin. "Our own den? I'm gonna go see Bucky now, can we leave when I get back?" Koda ran up onto the bank and off toward another rock outcropping down river.  
  
"It doesn't take much does it?" Denahi stared after the little cub that was now busy trying to wake up another by pushing him into the river.  
  
"Not really. You'll come with us, won't you Denahi. I mean, I'm sure we can find a pair of dens close to each other..."  
  
"Little Brother, are you saying that you care? Looks like you have been following your totem." Denahi swiped a paw at his brother's ear. "Of course I'll come; I still need a teacher after all."  
  
Kenai went down the bank and into the river. "Good, Koda would have missed you otherwise." Denahi playfully splashed his brother. "Hey Denahi, how about you gather some berries, we should have a good breakfast if we're gonna travel all day."  
  
Denahi nodded and after glancing over the empty feeling river, he trotted off into the woods.


	6. Chap 6: The Hunt

Chap. 6  
  
They started off as soon after Koda freed himself from Bucky's death grip, and they headed past the mountain. As the day wore on, the weather hinted of snow. The summer thaw had already past and most of the ground was covered in a light sprinkling of powder. It wasn't long before the weather fulfilled its promise. As the trio paused by a stream for a drink, the first flakes of the day floated down.  
  
Koda took a few sips before looking up. "Kenai, do you think we will find one today?"  
  
"No, it will probably be another day or so. We need to find our own range, and I heard about a place from Tug, he said it was a couple days out." Kenai stretched, forgetting that bears don't have the same range of motion as a human, and almost fell on his face.  
  
Koda tried to mimic him and slipped into the steam. Denahi held back a laugh and Kenai grinned. Koda came sputtering up out of the stream and shook himself off. Ignoring what just happened, Koda spoke again. "Do you think we could go find lunch? We could sit down and tell stories too! Or sing! Tell everybody I'm on my way..."  
  
Kenai just shook his head. "Don't worry Denahi, he'll tire eventually...I'll go find some fruit and nuts." "That's okay Kenai, I think I'll do it, you should stay and listen to Koda, I mean you wouldn't want to miss this song, now would you?"  
  
Kenai looked spitefully at his brother as Denahi went off into the surrounding trees.  
  
Koda eventually finished the song, though he had added about 15 new verses since last time, and Denahi had arrived back with a few branches of berries. It was a light lunch, but the three brothers enjoyed it and soon they were on the move again.  
  
They stopped at sunset, on a small bluff looking out over a valley. The mountain where the lights touched was behind them, significantly smaller than it was that morning. The lights themselves danced overhead, beautiful patterns of yellows and greens and oranges.  
  
The brothers lay there watching the lights. "What do you think its like up there? My mom always said we went into the night rainbow, but she never told me what happened next." Koda turned to Kenai expectantly.  
  
"The spirits up there watch over each of us, our totems are spirits to help guide our path so we can become who we were meant to be. Though sometimes it takes more drastic measures..." Kenai closed his eyes.  
  
"That doesn't make sense Kenai. Why would humans only have spirits to guide them? Bears don't have totems. And if totems are spirits, what do the humans up there do?"  
  
Kenai opened his eyes and looked over at his little brother. "I don't really know, it doesn't make much sense my way, does it?"  
  
"Maybe it does," Denahi suggested. "As humans, perhaps we require more guidance than other creatures. Or perhaps it's that each creature has its own beliefs and the beliefs of our people require more tangibles, hence the totems, than other creatures." He reflected a moment before continuing. "The totem doesn't have to be a spirit guide though. It may be that all humans are once an animal and that the spirits return them to the earth for some reason, and their totem is a symbol of what they were. Or perhaps all creatures begin as humans, and they receive their totem so that they can begin to learn about what creature they will become. Then after they become spirits, they are returned to the earth as their totem. There are many possibilities, but we shouldn't dwell on it, when we intertwine with the spirits of the ancestors, we will find out. Either way, Koda, I wouldn't worry about it, the lights above must be a good place, both your mother and our brother are there."  
  
Kenai and Koda just looked at him for a moment. Denahi shifted uncomfortably under their gaze. Finally, Kenai spoke, "Denahi, since when did you...I mean, I didn't realize that you..." "You're right Denahi; I shouldn't worry about it now, thanks." Koda piped in.  
  
Denahi grinned sheepishly. "I guess I just think too much sometimes."  
  
"No, that is definitely not your problem," Kenai joked.  
  
Denahi playfully punched his brother before getting up and stretching. He looked up once more at the lights before turning to the other two still lying down. "I'm gonna go get some sleep; see you two in the morning."  
  
"Good Night Denahi."  
  
"Alright Bro, see you tomorrow."  
  
Denahi walked over to a small tree on the other side of the bluff and lay down. The moon hung low over the mountains and Denahi soon was fast asleep under its pale glow.  
  
Denahi looked around. He was standing on the mountain where the lights touch the earth again. Every thing was the same, Sitka stood a short ways away and Kenai was sleeping with a cub on his right. The boy still stood over him, and this time Denahi swore that he knew the boy. Just as before, after a moment of looking at Kenai, a spear appeared in the boy's hands and he raised it above Kenai...  
  
Denahi jumped awake, and furiously looked around. A few spans away, Kenai was with Koda curled up by his side. They were on the bluff over the valley, not on the mountain. He breathed a sigh of relief._ I wonder what it means...  
_  
They set out that morning soon after sunrise. It wasn't long before they came to some rock outcroppings. They came from the base of the mountains and seemed to trail around the valley. The cropping was full of small holes and niches as well as a few holes big enough to be small caves.  
  
"What about this one Kenai? Oooh, no, how about this one?"  
  
"Koda, you are the only one who could fit in those, and even then it would be really tight. I think we want one just a little bigger." Kenai shoved Koda farther along the rocks. Denahi followed close behind.  
  
Kenai stopped suddenly and began to sniff the air. Koda also stopped and started to sniff. Denahi paused and began to do the same. There was something in the breeze, it smelled...familiar, but different. Koda gasped, "Monsters! Hunters!" Kenai Grabbed Koda in his mouth and scrabbled up the rocks. "com onm Dnhii!" Denahi climbed the rocks as fast he could, but before he reached the top he could already hear something behind him. For the first time, he realized that he no longer understood his language, as the hunter began to shout something to each other.  
  
As Denahi reached the top, his grip slipped and he felt himself falling. A paw dug into his and with a heave, Kenai pulled him up the rest of the way. "Thanks Kenai." Denahi looked back down the rocks. There were three of them, no older than he and Kenai. Each had a spear and they were climbing up the rocks. Kenai had set Koda down. "Let's go!" They began to run off across the plateau. Denahi could hear shouts behind them and boots crunching stones.  
  
The brothers turned around a cliff face and found themselves up against the side of a glacier. "Now what?" Koda looked worriedly at Kenai. He just shook his head. "I don't know...I just don't know..." Denahi looked over his shoulder. Though the hunters weren't in view, he could hear them getting closer.  
  
"Then back the way we came!" Koda started running right back toward the corner. "Koda, No!" Kenai started off after him, but it was too late. The hunters rounded the corner just as Koda reached it. He skidded to a stop, and the hunters jumped back in surprise. Kenai came barreling up right behind him, tried to stop and instead crashed face first into the ground. The hunters hesitated a moment before raising their spears. Denahi acted without thought, standing on his hind legs,  
  
"RAWWWRR!!!"  
  
The hunters jumped backwards, one of them tripped over his spear and went down.  
  
"RAWWRRR!!!"  
  
Kenai got up and joined in.  
  
"RAWWRRR!!" "RRAWWWWRR!!"  
  
The hunters scrambled back down the rocks, forgetting their spears on top. They hit the ground and continued to run off into the woods. Kenai slumped down, rubbing his head. Denahi just fell forward, breathing heavily. Koda just sat there, a look of pure hatred painted on his face. 


	7. Chap 7: Spring at last

Author's Note: Okay so it took almost two months for me to create this itsy bitsy chapter. I can give you many excuses, like school and just being really busy....and I will, but that's not the real reason. I had serious writer's block. I planned this to be a much longer chapter, but I hit a wall, and when I finally broke through it, I hit another. Anyway, it's finally up, and hopefully I'll get through the next block before too long. However, I am planning on branching out and writing other stories about other topics (gasp!). So, this will probably not get updated as regulary as it was in the beginning. Thats all folks!

Oh, and all the brother bear characters belong to disney, except the ones that don't.

Chap. 7

"Oooh, what happened next, Shaman Denahi?" asked one of the children. A dozen other voices echoed him.

"After the incident on the rocks, we went back down into the valley. We rested and once we were feeling better we continued the search for a den." Denahi looked over the crowd.

"And..." someone else pressed.

"Well, I'm afraid that's all that there is for that year. Koda finally found a cave large enough for him and Kenai and there was another not far away for me. We made preparations for winter and Koda explained hibernation to us. Soon the snow became constant and winter was upon us. We went into the dens and slept the dreamless sleep..."

The year past, and spring came. The brothers awoke to find themselves in a new season. Through hibernation, all three had grown, though it was Koda who grew the most. Koda now stood half as tall as Kenai; he had doubled, if not tripled in size.

All three of them were still a little heavy after the winter, but they soon worked it off.

"Ha! Gotcha!"

"No Fair! That's cheating!"

"Is not! Hey, how'd Denahi get up there?"

"Watch out!"

Water splashed over Koda and Kenai as Denahi crashed into the river. As he surfaced, his two brothers pounced on him and all three began to wrestle in the chilly waters. It was a small river compared to the salmon run, but it was still deep and it ran close to the brother's dens. Most of it was still covered in ice, however the brothers had found a place where the ice was thin, and with only a little bit of weight, they managed to open up a great deal of the river.

Around noon, the brothers began to feel hungry, and they pulled themselves up out of the water and onto the shore.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a whole caribou." Koda said as he leaned against a tree.

"Koda, you eat more than Denahi and I do combined! How can you be so hungry?"

"Kenai, he's a growing bear, if you haven't noticed." Denahi shook the water from his fur. "I'll go find something for lunch."

"Let's all go find something; you wouldn't be able to bring back enough for me!" Koda laughed and trotted off into the forest. Denahi grinned and followed. Kenai shook himself dry before chasing after them.

They ate out in the woods, finding some tasty roots and other plants. They even caught two squirrels for their meal. When they were finished, they climbed up a boulder and lay down on it, watching the clouds float overhead.

"Kenai, do you remember the hunters last year?" Denahi asked suddenly.

Kenai looked at his brother. "Of course, how could I forget them? What about it?"

"You told me last year how Tananda talked to you soon after you transformation. Did you understand what the hunters were saying?"

"Of course, I wasn't paying attention to it, but I understood it. What are you getting at Denahi?"

Denahi looked down at his paws and Kenai could barely hear him when he next spoke. "I didn't understand them Kenai....I don't understand our own language!"

"That's okay Denahi, I couldn't understand them either." Koda had been listening from lower down on the rock.

"Don't worry, I don't know why I understood them, but most bears can't understand our speech just like most humans can't speak bear." Kenai put a paw on his brother's shoulder.

"You're right, I guess I miss it for some reason though." He stood up. "So lets move on to other topics, how about we go explore?"

"Denahi, we already explored the valley." Kenai patiently reminded him.

"Okay, so let's explore the glacier to the east. We haven't been there and it would only take the rest of the afternoon."

Koda grinned at this and sprang up. "That's a great idea. Can we Kenai?"

So it was that a little over an hour later, the three brothers were climbing a large glacier just east of the valley where they had made their home.


	8. Chap 8: The Glacier

AN:  Hey people, here's chapter 8.  I hope you like it, but I wouldn't know because you people don't give me reviews.  Come on, I need them so I can make the story better! Please?  Anyway, My writers block is still waiting for me, so I'll get back to it for now. 

Disclaimer:  The story is mine.  The original characters are mine (only one so far).  However the location belongs to Alaska and Canada.  The other characters belong to Disney.

**Chibi**: Those are good names and thanks for the suggestions, I may use them later on.

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Chap. 8

The glacier made up most of the east wall of the valley. The forest came up to the edge and tapered off as the cliff faded into the ice. It was hard going for the brothers as they climbed up the frigid cliff.

"Having fun yet, Denahi?" Grumbled Kenai as he slipped and pulled himself up onto the next ledge.

Denahi was tired, but he didn't want to give Kenai the satisfaction, so he just grinned. "Come on little brother, this is nothing compared to the glacier back home."

Kenai just shook his head and kept climbing.

Another hour past and the sun began to head into the west as the brothers finally reached a cleft in the glacier. Koda bounded ahead and ran forward with Denahi close behind. Kenai looked around to make sure he knew the way back down before following his two brothers.

The cleft was narrow and went deep. After a while though, it began to widen. It had brought the bears to the other side of the glacier. There was no valley on this side, just mountains that rose up all around them. Lush, thick trees covered the mountains sides, while the peaks were white with snow. Another glacier could be seen just a short distance to the north.

"Wow, How come we've never been over here Kenai?" Koda bounded off the glacier and onto a nearby ledge that led to the sloped mountainside.

"Because we've never had the time before –Koda! Be careful, it's a long way down." Kenai glared at the young bear as he jumped over a rift in the rock.

"Come on Kenai, where's you sense of adventure?" Denahi jumped after Koda and the two of them began trotting into the woods toward the other glacier.

"I left it back in the valley..." Kenai grimaced; his brother was becoming a bad influence. He had no choice but to follow. "Alright, but we need to head back soon, the sun will be going down in a few hours!" He called after his brothers.

He caught up to them a few minutes later at the other glacier. They were walking down to where it met rock. Kenai looked apprehensively at the ice. It jutted out over the woods and didn't look very stable. He had seen ice like this collapse before and he really want to head underneath it.

"Hey, Denahi! Koda! How about we stay away from here, I-"Kenai paused and sniffed the air. There were other bears about, lower down the mountainside. He couldn't make out how many or even how far but they weren't visible through the trees. He turned and saw that his brothers had disappeared out of site. Resigning himself to a tag along, he hurried after them.

Denahi had stopped a little farther down the path. The ledge broke off and there was quite a distance to the next one. Koda had resigned himself to looking for a snack in the woods.

"Hey Denahi ...where's Koda?" Kenai asked as he came around the bend.

"Went to look for foodstuffs. I think we will have to turn around..." A rumbling sound had begun somewhere above them and was getting louder.

"Denahi, please tell me that's your stomach..." Fear was plain in Kenai's eyes as he looked at his brother. The rumbling was louder now and they could here cracking in the ice above them.

"I'm afraid its-"His reply was cut short as the glacier cracked and bits of ice showered them. The entire ledge shook and the shelf above them broke of, shattering into hundreds of boulder sized bits of ice. Kenai barreled for Denahi and through both of them off the ledge.

Slightly below them on the hillside, Koda sniffed the air. There were other bears nearby, ones he didn't know. He was looking around trying to determine where they were when he heard the rumble and turned to see the glacier shelf collapse. As the avalanche of snow and ice bared down upon him, Koda ran toward a niche he had seen in the rocks to the west. Just a few feet away from it, the ice rushed down and past Koda. He stopped and looked around to see that he managed to just get out of the path of the impending snow.

Koda let out a sigh. _Thank the spirits it missed me. Kenai would be so worried if...oh no! Kenai and Denahi!_ Quickly making sure the snow was no longer shifter; Koda began to run up the hill in search of his other two brothers.

The mountain where the lights touch the earth. Kenai and a sleeping cub. Sitka standing watching. The boy with the spear. Denahi closed his eyes and screamed to himself to wake up.

"Uhh...." Denahi shook his head and looked around. He was lying down on a ledge. Above him he could see the edge of what was once the path they had been following. Now it was buried under 10 feet of snow and ice, as was the rest of the hillside. He took a quick look off the side and saw that there was a chasm that went down hundreds of feet. _Good thing I didn't fall in there, I've already done that once..._

"Good, you're alright." Denahi turned to see Kenai slipping and sliding down a narrow passage that seemed to lead back up to the top. "While you were out I found a way back up. Koda's at the top, come on."

Gingerly, Denahi stood and shook his head to clear out the bad memories and dreams. Kenai turned and went back up the path with Denahi following close behind.


	9. Chap 9: The Survivor

**Author's Note:** Wow. It has been months since I updated. I am really sorry its taken me so long. I haven't been really in the mood to write, so I dropped it for a while. Unfortuantly, My inspiration is still missing. This chapter was actually written months ago, but I didn't post it because I thought I would add more to it. Turns out I can't figure out what else to add, so its stuck the way it is; short. But the end of the story is nearing. I've it planned out that there will only be another 3 chapters, and an Epilogue. Now all I have to do is write them. Anyway, Thanks for sticking with it, and please read and review.

**Disclaimer**: Brother bear belongs to disney. Any characters not found in the movie that are featured here are mine. But everything else belongs to Disney and the Alaskan wild life service. Have I said that already?

* * *

Following Kenai, Denahi found himself on top of mounds of snow that had covered the mountainside. Koda was a little farther down the slop digging in the snow.

"What's he doing?" Denahi asked his brother. "He's looking for the other bears, he smelled them right before the slide." Kenai picked up the pace and hurried to help Koda. Denahi stretched, trying to loosen up his hurt muscles before joining the other two bears.

The three brothers had been digging for a few minutes when koda cried out. "Oh no! not this…." He turned away and walked farther down the cliffside, silent tears running down his cheeks. Kenai rushed over to where Koda was digging and saw what had upset him. Beneath the snow was a female bear, her eyes closed and not breathing. Under one of her limbs, the limp form of a young cub could just be seen. Kenai closed his eyes and stood there solemnly. "what is…" Denahi's words died as he saw her.

"Come on Denahi, there's nothing we can do now…" Kenai opened his eyes slowly and began to move into the trees where Koda had sat down. Denahi turned to follow but something about the bear caught his eye. He twisted to look again and swore that her paw had just moved. "Kenai! She's alive!" Kenai turned around and came running back. "Her paw just moved, she-" Denahi stared at the two eyes looking out from beneath it's mother's paw. A cub, the same age as the limp one crawled out and weakly took a few steps before falling into the snow.

"No, she's gone Denahi, but one of her cubs survived. We can't leave it here. Come on," Kenai took the cub up in his mouth and the three brothers moved away from the mother bear, towards the path they had taken. The trek back was slow, as they had to be more careful on the cliff face than they had been getting up. All the while Kenai held the cub in his mouth while Koda walked along depressed. None of them spoke.

As the sun was setting, the four bears found themselves back in the valley. The little cub was still unconicous. Denahi had taken point, and Koda was in the back. It didn't take them too long to get back to the dens.

"What are we going to do with him, Kenai?" Koda asked as Kenai set the little cub on the ground. He groaned once but still didn't move.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to take care of him."

Kenai went about trying to make the little cub more comfortable.

Denahi paused in the story. A few kids had fallen asleep. The night was getting late. "Alright children, it is time that you went to sleep. Your parents probably don't want you up this late."

Groans and shouts of protests arose from the group of children, waking up the ones who had fallen asleep. Some of the parents on the outside of the circle grinned at each other. One of them, Taki, spoke up. "Go on Elder Denahi. Finish your story. The children really want to here the rest." Denahi smiled and nodded.

"Very well. The days past. The cub awoke and was adopted into our family. His name was Tae. Kenai spent a lot of time with him and they soon became unseperable. Koda became resentful of Tae and hanged out in the background more and more…"


	10. Chap 10: The Salmon run

Author's Note: Can you believe it? Another chapter, already! My writer's block is dissolving, maybe because my last final of the year are in a couple days. Anyways, I'd love reviews cause its been such a long time since I last wrote. Alright, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to disney, yadda yadda...

* * *

Chap. 10

The lights danced overhead in the night sky. Denahi stood once more on the mountain. _No, no, not again, wake up!_ He cried, but his voice disappeared into the wind. Kenai and the cub slept to his right, Sitka's spirit standing solemnly to his left. Denahi suddenly did a double take. He knew the cub that slept with Kenai. They had only been living together for most of the summer; it was Tae! _Spirits, what are you trying to tell me! _He called out as the boy in the blanket appeared, spear raised. An image flashed over the boy, but Denahi could not make out what it was. The spear was thrust downward, ripping Denahi from his sleep.

He looked around the dark cave wildly despite knowing nothing would come of it. He had thought the dreams were over; he hadn't had them since the avalanche. But now it plagued him again, and with a new element. Settling back down, Denahi looked over at the large cub that shared his den. Koda snored peacefully there. He had left the other den just soon after Tae had joined them, giving no explanation except that the den wasn't large enough for three bears. Kenai may have accepted that, but Denahi could see there was something more.

Koda's behavior had not begun with Tae though. Ever since the encounter with the hunters, Koda had seemed different, and Denahi was beginning to worry that the same rage that had driven him to hunt his own brother was now fostering inside the young bear. Kenai, for whatever reason did not seem to notice. His brother's new outlook on life was so optimistic he tended to dismiss that which suggested otherwise.

The bear yawned; sleep already threatening to overtake him. Glancing once more at the cub, Denahi closed his eyes and slept.

Later that summer, Koda announced that it was almost time for the Salmon run. Soon the four bears were off, heading towards that fateful spot where destinies had been decided.

"So Tae, is this your first trip to the salmon run?" Kenai asked as the moved down a hill through a thick patch of trees.

The young cub nodded enthusiastically. Tae's color was much darker than the other three, a rich brown with lighter patches on the shoulders and rear legs. "My first season Momma felt we were too young to go so we stayed home." He bounced along beside Kenai, looking at anything and everything.

Koda walked a little ways a ways. He snorted at the cub's enthusiasm and continued to walk. The prospect of seeing Bucky again kept him calm. Denahi was walking on the other side of Kenai but he kept glancing over his brother at Koda.

"Are there tons of bears? And fish? Is there story telling and games and treasure hunts and …."

Kenai interrupted him "whoa, there. Yeah, there there's all that and more, isn't that right Koda?"

Koda sighed. "Yeah, it's a ton of fun. I can't wait till we get there."

Kenai looked at Koda strangely, noticing that his voice didn't sound as enthused as he expected, but he didn't mention it.

Denahi awoke that night in a jolt, breathing heavily. The dream had come again. And somehow it had seemed more urgent than before. This was the second time in three days that the dream had come to him. And he feared they would come ever more frequent the closer they got to the mountain. The sun was just beginning to rise, so Denahi stayed up watching the brilliant sky and waiting for his brothers.

They traveled just two more days before they were looking down into the valley, a racing river twisting though it. The Mountain where the lights touched the earth overlooked it all, brilliant snow capped peaks casting long shadows.

"Here we are, the salmon run. Gathering place for bears of all shapes and sizes." Kenai flashed a wide grin to the three other bears. Tae beamed back and even Koda looked enthused. Denahi smiled at his brother, this would lighten all their spirits.

"Come on, I'll race ya!" Kenai yelled as he charged down the hill. Tae and Koda both gave a shout and charged after him. Denahi shook his head, smiling all the while and charged after the other three, soon catching up to the two cubs and passing them.

They arrived at the bottom out of breath and rolling around with laughter. Once Kenai could stand once more he began to move off to the river, and Tae got up to follow.

"I'm going to greet the others and introduce Tae around."

"Alright Kenai, I'm gonna go find Bucky," Koda replied as he hurried off in the other direction.

"What about you, Denahi?"

"Don't worry Kenai, I'll be fine, I'm just going to look around a bit. I'll see you tonight."

Kenai nodded and moved off with Tae in tow. Denahi watched them move off before going himself towards the river. As he cleared the trees his eyes gazed out over the river. Dozens upon dozens of bears were along the bank and swimming in the cool waters. The falls to his left were crowded with cubs jumping into the pools that formed below. He mingled a bit with a bear here and there, and spent most of the day just walking around. He did go fishing and was quite proud of himself when he caught 3 good sized salmon. Finally the sun began to set and the lights lit up the sky. He moved over to the large gathering of bears where stories were being told. He sat on the outskirts, listening in, looking for his brother and the two cubs. Finally, Denahi caught sight of Kenai and Tae, but Koda was nowhere to be found. Kenai seemed to sense the same thing and was frowning slightly.

Finally, the group began to break up and move off. Kenai and Tae walked over to Denahi. "Where's Koda? Have you seen him?" Kenai asked.

"Sorry brother, haven't seen him since we left the clearing. Maybe he went back there."

"Let's go check." Together, the threesome moved off towards the point where they had come down the hill. It wasn't long before the reached the spot, but Koda wasn't there.

Kenai was getting worried.

"Denahi, you look down river, I'll look up. Tae, can you stay here in case he comes back?" He didn't really want to leave the little cub by himself, but he couldn't think of what else to do, short of enlisting the other bears. He knew they would be glad to help, but he didn't want to ask just yet.

"Sure thing, Kenai. I'll stay right here!" Even now, the little cub was enthusiastic.

"Alright, we'll be back in a little while. Stay safe." Kenai pulled him close with one paw, giving him a small hug. Then he moved off and disappeared into the night. Denahi gave a nod to Tae before doing the same in the opposite direction.


	11. Chap 11: Runaways

**AN:** So I reformated my computer and forgot to back up the original document. This meant that the first part of this chapter, which I had written at the same time as chapter 10, was lost, and I had to rewrite it. When I finish the entire story, I hope to go back and edit it, making it read better, as well as touch up the dialog so that it fits the characters more. I apologize once again for the huge time gap between chapters. Real life just interferes so much. Anyway, only 1 more chapter to go (Intake of breath), and an epilogue. sigh, I'm almost done. I'd like to thank Neosun who has stuck with me since the beginning, sending me reviews. I'm glad I have at least one loyal reader, that's all it takes afterall. Also thank you to anyone else who has continued to read, even if they don't review (though you really should, tsk tsk), or they do review and I am just peebrained and didn't realize it. As I and so many authors here continue to say, read and review!

Also, to Chibi: at long last, I have used one of the names you suggested. yay! I finally had someone to name. : )

Disclaimer: Gods people, if you haven't gotten it by now, I don't own Disney. But I will buy it once I conquer a small south american country.

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Chap. 11

Tae walked around the clearing a few times before deciding to sit in the middle. He was more than happy to wait for his brothers. Since his mother's death he hadn't known anyone else and nothing seemed to go wrong when he was with them.

From his left came a rustling in the woods. Tae's ears perked up as he started sniffing, catching a familiar scent. "Koda?"

The older cub came through the underbrush, a look of anger or perhaps disgust on his face at seeing Tae. "Yes it me. What are you doing here? Where' s Kenai and Denahi?"

Tae frowned, sensing something was wrong. "Uh, they went searching for you. You were gone a lone time. Did you meet up with your Busty friend?"

Koda snarled at the younger bear as he walked around him in a circle. "Its Bucky! Bucky! And no! He wasn't here, he's had to go out on his own! Fend for himself since humans killed his family!"

Tae was becoming a bit frightened, but he tried to calm Koda down. "Oh come on Koda, you lost your mother and I lost mine and we still came here. We have a family in Kenai. Maybe Bucky could come with us?"

Koda stopped his circling and just glared at the cub. "We? It used to be me and Kenai! We were brothers! You ruined everything! You forced your way in here and took him from me! Ever since I met you nothing has gone wrong. You mother was even on top of you when we found you, she was probably trying to kill you!" The venom in his words surprised even himself as Koda spit them out at Tae.

Tae just stared at Koda at first, not understanding what the bigger bear was saying. Then it slowly came to him and tears welled up his eyes. "Bu……I……Ko…da…." Tae burst out in tears and ran into the woods as fast as he could.

"Good riddance." Koda said to himself, trying to reassure himself of it. The weight of what he had just done slammed into him seconds later and he sat down abruptly, stunned by what he had inflicted on Tae.

* * *

The moments passed, seeming to last forever as Koda sat there. Suddenly, out of the brush to his right burst Kenai and Denahi, both running at full speed. They stopped as soon as they say Koda and looked around the clearing for Tae.

"What's going on Koda? Where's Tae? We heard someone yell." Kenai asked, a very concern look on his face. Denahi just stared passively at Koda, already guessing the answer.

"I….I yelled at him Kenai." His older brother looked about to interrupt, so Koda rushed forward and continues speaking. "I didn't mean to, I just got all worked up over Bucky not being here and then I came back….and I yelled and…..scared him off."

Denahi nodded as his suspicions were confirmed as Kenai just stood there staring straight ahead. A hint of anger rose in his voice. "You scared him off? What were you thinking? He's just a cub!"

Denahi, sensing things were about to get out of control, walked between the two. "So's Koda, Kenai. It was a mistake and arguing further about it is pointless. We need to go find Tae."

Koda closed his mouth and nodded. Kenai looked between the two of them, the anger being replaced by fear. "You're right Denahi, as always. There's a lot of woods, so I think we should split up again. Koda, You are big enough to go on your own. If you find Tae, try not to upset him anymore."

Koda just nodded again. "Alright then," Kenai began. "Lets split up. Koda, you go that way, Denahi, you go there, and I'll take this area. Give a shout if you find him. Lets get going." Kenai gave a few seconds for his brothers to nod in agreement before running off in his designated direction. Denahi looked down to Koda, who was not looking very good at the moment.

"Its not your fault, you know. Kenai really isn't angry with you." He tried, hoping to make Koda feel better, but Koda just shook his head.

"No, I've grown apart from him. I don't understand any more than I did back then…" He trailed off and taking one last look at Denahi hurried off into the woods. Denahi stood there a moment longer looking out at the river, wondering what would happen to his brothers, when the fur on his neck stood on end. Turning, he looked over his shoulder at the Mountain. The sun created an orange glow in the sky, and the lights could just barely be seen coming out. Denahi nodded, and following his gut, began moving towards the snowy slopes.

* * *

Kenai had been searching for a few minutes when he stumbled upon something that was not encourage. Boot tracks, a few of them. There was a human party in the area. _Hunters?_ The fear within him rose and he moved faster, hoping that he was wrong. It was soon appreant that he wasn't too far off. His trek had brought him right to the base of the Mountain. Up above him on a ledge, he could see three humans, teenage males. They seemed to be looking at something, but he couldn't see what. 2 of them held spears, and the third was gesturing profusely. The wind shifted, and their conversation flowed down to his ears.

One of the young males with a spear, "What's you problem, Nerriu? Its just a bear cub. Think about what father would think if we brought back?"

The other boy, the one waving his hands replied. "We have no right! Like you said its just a cub. It's a kid, you can't just take it! Who know where its mother is?"

The scent in the air confirmed his worst fears, confirming that it was Tae that the three were talking about.

"Look, This is what men do, right? They hunt. They bring back game. Why should we be any different?" The last one asked.

"We hunt for food. We were taught not to take more than that. We can't do this just to prove we're men." The one called Nerriu replied. He had stopped gesturing and was just standing there now.

"Look, lets get back to camp. You aren't going to win this one tonight, so just give it up." The first boy bent down and picked something up before moving out of sight towards the mountain. The other with the spear followed. Nerriu threw up his hands before going after the other two.

Kenai began to search for a way up when he heard a growl just a bit above him to his right. Looking over, he saw Koda glaring in the direction of the hunters. _He must have seen them too. But he doesn't know our language! _Kenai was about to cry out when he realized that would tip of the hunters and endanger all three of them. Instead he watched helplessly as Koda jumped from his perch and followed the humans. Cursing himself, Kenai quickly found his own way and began to chase after them.


	12. Chap 12: Final Choices

**Authors Note: **Ah, the final Chapter. The end of his story. But not the end of this one. There will be an epilogue afterall. I debated not doing one since this chapter ends in a good place, but I still wanted to. Despite the lack of reviews in recent chapters, I feel I must finish this for the few who have read it and for myself.

Again, thanks to all those who have reviewed my story, I appreciate it. I would love more though, so feel free if you haven't already.

As always and forever, I do not own any within but my own characters, however much I wish it otherwise.

* * *

Chap. 12

Night was almost upon the mountain, the sun's last rays flickering over the landscape. Kenai stood in the gloom, looking down on the human camp. The 3 boys had arrived at it a while before, but Koda was nowhere to be seen. The campsite brought back bad memories, as it was pitched on a ledge quite similar to the one where he and Denahi had fought last year. The camp itself was small, and surprisingly tidy. Three animal skin tents were set up along the ridge in a semicircle. In the center of the semicircle was a fire pit, where flames licked eagerly at the new logs recently put on. It was on the other side of this, that Kenai saw Tae. He was tied up to a stake driven deep into the ground. The young cub was huddled in a ball, and Kenai just knew how terrified Tae must feel. Still, he felt he had to be cautious so that he didn't endanger them or the humans_. I wish I knew where Koda was…_

There was a flicker of movement in one of the tents and Kenai's gazed was directed to it. After the humans had arrived back and tied up Tae, they had argued again about the cub, before each going off to their own tent. Silently, the young man called Nerriu snuck out of his tent. _What is he up to? _Thought Kenai. He moved quickly to where Tae was, and it was then that Kenai saw the glint of metal in his hand. His eyes widened and he began moving towards the boy, when Nerriu spoke, though not to Kenai. "Its okay little one, I won't hurt you. I'm gonna cut you loose. Easy there…" Kenai stopped, a smile on his face as he heard these words. His gaze drifted beyond the boy and he saw a pair of eyes shining in the dark on the opposite side of Tae and Nerriu; Koda's. _Oh no…._ The knife moved towards the rope around Tae's neck and suddenly there was a roar of rage from Koda as he charged forward, straight towards Nerriu.

Things began to happen too fast then to recount accurately. Nerriu whirled around, slipped and fell, dropping the knife into the snow. Tae cried out and backed up as far as he could as Kenai rushed to intercept Koda. The two tents still occupied had their openings flung wide and the other two boys looked out. Kenai reached Nerriu first and as Koda came forward, he shoved him back. Koda looked at Kenai with a mix of confusion and rage. Suddenly, there was a cry from behind them, and both brothers turned to see one of the men running forward with a spear, The other grabbing his and charging after the first.

"Stop! it sav- Stop!" Nerriu yelled from his position futilely as the first hunter reached Kenai. Kenai whirled quickly however and moved out of the way, causing the boy to rush past with the excess momentum. The second was almost upon Kenai when Koda grabbed the butt of the spear in his mouth, spinning it around and throwing the hunter to the ground. The first was already turning around again however, and Kenai was moving in to match him. Nerriu pulled himself up, watching the events unfold in Horror. Seeing Nerriu stand again, Koda growled and moved towards him. Nerriu's attention fell on the smaller of the two bears, and he began to back up, moving past the tents, until he found himself on the precipice's edge, cornered.

* * *

The wind was howling, but Denahi thought he heard something else in it. Rushing around the corner, he was confronted with the scene of his three brothers, and the three hunters. Stunned momentarily, Denahi just stood there, trying to figure out what he was seeing, something nagging at his mind.

Koda had almost reached Nerriu now, taking his time to corner him. Kenai ducked under his attacker and bucked upwards, tossing the hunter over his shoulder and crashing into the snow. His eyes focused on Koda and Nerriu, opening wide. Koda lifted up his paw ready to strike. He ran forward as fast as his legs would carry him, barely breaking in between the bear and the man as Koda's paw came down, raking Kenai's shoulder. Kenai cried out in pain, and Koda stared at his brother in a stupor, his anger forgotten at the moment, as he takes a jagged step back.

Suddenly the dream flashed through Denahi's mind. This was the precipice. There stood Kenai, the cub Tae nearby. And there, the image superimposed over the _boy_….._Koda_….. Realization of its meaning finally snapped him from his stunned immobility and he rushed forward as Nerriu's footing slipped and the young man let out a yelp as he tipped backwards over the cliff. Denahi opened his jaws wide and clamped down on the boy's arm, grabbing him and yanking forward with all his strength. The boy cried in pain, and Denahi had the sickening sensation that the arm was injured as Nerriu was pulled away from his fall and flung into the snow near Tae.

The one boy who remained standing, having recovered from his charge, glanced briefly at the bears before running over to help up the dazed hunter Kenai had tossed. Together, they limped hurriedly down the path out of sight. Koda's gaze shifted from Kenai's injury to Denahi and then to Nerriu, his eyes narrowing. Denahi didn't give a moments hesitation as he moved in between Nerriu and Koda, and forcefully put his paw against Koda's shoulder, forcing him to sit. Kenai, his teeth gritted in pain, moved and did the same to Koda using his uninjured arm. Nerriu had moved over and picked his knife from the snow, partially clutching his injured arm. Carefully, he moved back over to Tae, who had been whimpering and curled up in a ball throughout the whole ordeal. Koda let out a growl and tried to fight against his two brothers, but they were far larger then him and kept him down. Nerriu took the knife and in one swift motion cut the rope around Tae's neck. Tae stared at him a moment, and then his brothers. Kenai and Denahi both nodded to him and motioned to the mountains. Taking the hint, Tae turned and ran off the ledge and behind a rocky protrusion, disappearing. Nerriu stood again, and clutching his arm, he began to back away from the three bears. When he was near the path that they had taken to reach here, he turned and moved swiftly down it calling for the other two.

As he vanished, Kenai and Denahi both let go of Koda, who slumped onto the ground, just staring ahead. "It's good to see you Denahi. Thanks." Kenai smiled at his brother as he said this, and moved into a more comfortable position for his injured shoulder. Denahi smiled weakly back at his brother and he moved away from the cliff a bit.

"Kenai….I didn't mean…. I… .I'm sorry I hurt you." Koda said in a quiet voice. Kenai gave him a warm smile. "Its okay Koda, I forgive you." Koda just looked at his brother, regret on his face. The Lights were now dancing far over head, the sun having finished its journey for the day. The brothers just stood there silently, letting the minutes drift by. Sighing heavily, Denahi broke the silence and began to speak in a quiet voice,"Kenai….I…."

Kenai gave him a sad grin and cut him off. "I know, you don't belong here. And you have a place back among our tribe." Koda looked up at the two brothers, an understanding coming into his eyes. "Thank you Kenai, for understanding." Feeling Koda's gaze upon them the two older brothers looked down at the bear cub. Koda squirmed a bit under their eyes, as he tried to form his thoughts.

"Look, Kenai…Denahi…I'm sorry. I guess I don't know much of anything at all. I was just so mad..." Kenai shook his head and used his unijured paw to ruffle Koda's fur. "You will learn. Understanding and acceptance doesn't always come when we think it should."

The Lights glowed and shifted in the sky above, slowly descending towards the mountain. Koda frowned before shaking his head. "I can't, Kenai….I can't understand humans…..I can't forgive them, just like you couldn't forgive bears before..." Kenai looked as his brother quizzically, not quite understanding. "What are you saying?"

"Kenai, I think he means he's going to come with me." Denahi looked from Kenai to Koda to confirm his belief. The bear cub met his stare, and Denahi nodded his head in understanding. "I'll watch after him. If this is what he wants, that is." Koda's head bobbed slowly up and down in confirmation. Kenai sighed as he looked between his brothers. The knowledge of what was meant to be slowly sank in. "You know I have to stay. My place is here now. Besides I have to take care of Tae."

Denahi made a dismissive motion with his paw. "Kenai, I never thought anything else. I know where we are supposed to be now. Even if it means losing my brother again, at least this time I am prepared."

"And he'll be keeping me." Koda piped up. Kenai smiled sadly at both them and nodded. After a second, he moved forward and gave them both a true bear lights, dancing in oranges and red came down in their own embrace around the brothers, the shape of an eagle floating above them.


	13. Epilogue: Ties that Bind

**AN:** The epilogue is up now. Turns out I wasn't finished with the story after all. Now all is completed. I really hope you have enjoyed this story, may the Spirits guide you and bring you to where you need to be.

9-1-2010: Some edits have been made to this and the last chapter fixing a few grammar issues and clarifying a bit of continuity. While the story may be done, that doesn't mean it cannot still be improved here and there.

Epilogue

* * *

Denahi stopped then, watching the faces of the young ones before him, seeing the awe that floated on their faces…all but one. Kenai's face was passive; a knowing look in his eyes, and Denahi knew that the boy was smiling inwardly. "That is my story, little ones. Now, you all must get to bed, or else your parents shall have my hide." He gave them an impish grin as he scattered some powder onto the fire before him causing to flare up and then dampen down so that only the embers were glowing.

In this new darkness, he moved off, away from the rock and the wall of the ancestors. He moved slowly, not because of ill health but because he was contemplating the stars above, and the ribbon of colors where two of his brothers now lay. "Many years it has taken…." He whispered silently to himself.

"But the time was worth it, big brother." Denahi turned to find Koda standing beside him, gazing up as well. Koda had grown into a fine man, looking a great deal like Kenai, though even shorter.

"Where is young Kenai? He's more trouble than his namesake." Denahi grinned as he turned and watched Koda, whom turned to look back at him. "Tama was bringing him to bed last I checked."

They began to stroll again, Denahi only nodding his head to this news and they moved in silence for a few more moments until they were among some of the tribe's huts. Denahi looked over at the leather band around Koda's neck and down to where it was tucked into his shirt. Koda caught the look, his hand going to it. "Tananda gave it to me, during my ceremony. It's my totem."

"You always keep it hidden, why have you never shared it? I know she held your ceremony in private, for reasons I may never know, but…." He couldn't really find a way to finish the sentence and he let it trail off.

Koda shrugged. "It always brought strong memories forward - it's a reminder in a way of what you just told the children tonight. When I used to tell the story, I would distance myself from the emotions that came with it - the memories always seemed to bring pain along even with the good. Tonight, watching your telling, I realized I no longer feel regret or pain with the memories. My Totem fits, it has for a while, I just didn't notice until now."

Koda pulled the totem from beneath his shirt, holding it up in the moonlight so Denahi could get a good look at it. Denahi's eyes widened, his mouth opening silently before he closed it and grinned. It was the first time he'd ever seen a totem with multiple creatures in it, let alone specific ones. 3 young men were standing around a young bear cub, an eagle with spread wings enclosing them all. Koda let it fall against his chest as he looked from Denahi to the lights above. "It represents brotherhood."


End file.
